The purpose of the Methuen Youth Hockey Association is to promote the development of character and good sportsmanship in the youth of Methuen through hockey, to promote the game of hockey, and to hold and arrange hockey games.

Methuen Youth Hockey has been around since the early 1970s - even before Methuen High School had an ice rink. The mission of the association is to promote good sportsmanship in the youth of Methuen by teaching and promoting the game of hockey.

We have a multi-layered approach to accomplishing our organizational goals:

·Instructional programs. We start out with the basics - teaching kids how to skate, and how to get back up when they fall down. The Learn-to-Skate program begins as early as 5 years old and includes children as old as 10. The LTS program is offered in two one-hour sessions; the first for beginners who have no experience on skates, and the second for children who can skate and wish to learn the basics of playing hockey.

·Mite Development Program – This is a program MYHA developed in the 2014-2015 season and had 44 players ages 6-8 year old who participate in approximately 40 ADM model practices each year and typically play a cross-ice game on one weekend day. This is a great way to transition from LTP program before the travel program for those children who are ages 6-8.

·Travel team programs. Like any town program, MYHA offers age-specific travel team hockey. From Mites to Midgets, MYHA has teams that start in September and run through early April in the Valley Hockey League. Practices are scheduled on approximately a 2:1 - 3:1 ratio practice to games. MYHA sponsors a weekly power skating session that occurs in the Fall part of the season. This directly supports USA Hockey’s American Development Model (ADM) philosophy of building better players by first building better athletes. At MYHA our vision is always on the next challenge. Our coaches are dedicated every season to preparing their players to perform well at the next level of play. Mites are taught the skills needed to play as Squirts; Squirts are made ready to be good Peewee players, and so on up the age groups until our Midget players are preparing for high school tryouts. Not every player makes it - but we would like to have every player have an opportunity to try to play high school hockey and make the most of their opportunity when it presents itself.

·Community involvement. Unlike most private teams or select programs, MYHA relies on community support to be successful. For this reason MYHA offers many programs to give back to the local community. We are regular participants in Mass Hockey's free skating programs and have participated in the USA Hockey Weekend Across America. MYHA has ties to the UMass Lowell Riverhawks and they provide a fun fundraising opportunity each year for our kids and their families. We have a number of team sponsors who help support our program as well. We offer the opportunity to our travel team players, as well as our coaches and assistant coaches to regularly participate in our Learn-to-Skate clinics. We have had multiple teams perform community outreach service through food drives, and volunteering at Cor Unum Meal Center to help the organization serve meals to those in need.

Methuen Youth Hockey has been developing hockey players, teaching young athletes, and forming responsible young adults for over forty years. Kids who were players back in our early days are now adults involved in our program. Methuen alumni are involved at Mass Hockey and USA Hockey at the district, state, and national levels. We have a rich past and a promising future, and we invite you to be a part of our story. Sign up and volunteer, attend a coaching clinic, invite a friend or neighbor who is new to skating, or just come down and watch a game during the season.